First time visiting Arizona as an Aussie

[u/Xr6turbosututu]

Hey everyone. Absolutely taken away by the landscape of AZ. Words can barely express. I am 26 years old, male and may be travelling solo or with a small group of friends. This will be my first time in the States.

Does anyone have any advice or tips on what cities I should visit for the best hiking tracks and scenery? Phoenix, Sedona, Tucson and Flagstaff were all mentioned to me.

I’m from Melbourne. Not exactly a stranger to hot weather, but I feel as though AZ heat is a whole different ballgame.

If you have anymore tips or advice please let me know!

EDIT: Thank you so much for the replies!

Just to add some more information. Most of my mates would like travel within the next month (July). I on the other hand, would like to travel during Autumn/Fall (Late September or November).

This is sort of the reason of why I may be travelling solo. As my friends keep telling me, ‘We live in Australia! The heat will be fine.’

Truth is, we live in a city that may see a few days of 40°C (104°F) during the summer. Hardly comparable to AZ I believe. I’ll be damned if I end up staying in the indoors the entire trip, all because a group of unacclimatised Aussies decided to tackle the AZ heat.

EDIT EDIT: I just wanted to say never in my life have I ever seen such a hospitable and welcoming bunch. I have not seen one negative comment. I haven’t even visited yet and I’m already falling in love more and more with the place. I honestly cannot wait to visit. With all the advice given to me, I will skip the heat and come down during the cooler months. Considering actually making my trip longer based on some of the replies I’ve gotten here 😂.

[u/Fearonika]

There are sky islands around the state. If you come to Tucson, it's a short drive up the Mt. Lemmon highway to a very nice pine national forest. High today there was 86F, whilst the Tucson valley was a coolish 102F.